Protective Case for Portable Electronic Device

ABSTRACT

A protective case for a portable electronic device includes an inner decorative part and an outer decorative part. The protective case is provided with a front piece having a central hollowed portion. One side of the front piece is provided with a first rear piece. Another opposing side of the front piece is provided with a second rear piece. The hollowed portion is adapted to accommodate a transparent plate. The transparent plate has a protruding portion extending from the periphery of the transparent plate to form a step. The inner decorative part is flush with the transparent plate. The first rear piece is bent to be located behind the front piece, and then the second rear piece is bent to be located behind the front piece and attached to the first rear piece, enabling the protective case to be formed in the shape of a bag.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to any reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a protective case for a portable electronic device, and more particularly to a protective case combined with a transparent plate for protecting a portable electronic device and its screen from being scraped.

Description of Related Arts

With the development and improvement of technology, wired or wireless communication quality is also upgraded. Many portable electronic devices (such as mobile phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, and the like) are also innovated. The electronic devices are very popular and often taken along for use. When the portable electronic device having a screen is used, the screen of the portable electronic device may be scraped or damaged when it is rubbed by metallic articles (such as keys, key rings, coins, etc.) or falls down. The appearance of the surface of the product is damaged accordingly. In order to protect the screen from being scraped by an external force, a screen protective film is provided and attached to the screen, avoiding a hard article from touching the screen directly. In order to protect the surface of the portable electronic device from being worn or hit, there are many protective cases developed on the market. The user has to purchase the screen protective film and the protective case for the portable electronic device to be protected completely, but it will be a burden for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a protective case having a hard transparent plate. The transparent plate can be tightly attached to the screen of a portable electronic device. The user can directly touch the screen of the portable electronic device through the transparent plate, preventing the screen from being scraped. The present invention saves the cost and is convenient for use.

In order to achieve the object, the protective case of the present invention comprises an inner decorative part and an outer decorative part which are attached to each other to become one-piece. The inner decorative part corresponds in shape to the outer decorative part. The protective case has a front piece having a central hollowed portion. One side of the front piece is provided with a first rear piece. Another opposing side of the front piece is provided with a second rear piece. The hollowed portion is adapted to accommodate a transparent plate. The transparent plate has a protruding portion extending from the periphery of the transparent plate. The protruding portion is thinner than the transparent plate to form a stepped side. The edge of the inner decorative part of the hollowed portion is attached to the stepped side of the protruding portion. The inner decorative part is flush with the transparent plate. The edge of the outer decorative part of the hollowed portion is attached to another side of the protruding portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one end of the front piece is provided with at least one limit strip. The outer decorative part of the first rear piece is formed with at least one notch. The first rear piece is bent to be located behind the front piece. The limit strip is inserted into the notch. The second rear piece is bent to be located behind the front piece and attached to the first rear piece, enabling the protective case to be formed in the shape of a bag.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the second rear piece is formed with an elongate pocket opening close to one side thereof. The second rear piece has an outer circumferential binding portion out of a rectangular portion defined by the elongate pocket opening as a side length. A pocket is formed by an unbound portion of the first rear piece and the second rear piece.

In one embodiment of the present invention, another end of the front piece is provided with a locking tab. A first magnetic member is provided in the locking tab. The first rear piece is formed with a positioning hole for accommodating a second magnetic member. The locking tab is buckled on the second rear piece by the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to attract each other.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a fordable first connecting piece is provided between the front piece and the first rear piece. A fordable second connecting piece is provided between the front piece and the second rear piece.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the inner decorative part of the first rear piece is provided with a smooth lining piece.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the transparent plate comprises an inner plate and an outer plate which are attached to each other. The inner plate has a length and a width less than those of the outer plate, such that the transparent plate is formed with a stepped portion around an outer periphery thereof.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the transparent plate is made of acryl or tempered glass.

According to the aforesaid structure, the transparent plate and the protective case are combined to be one-piece. The user can directly watch/touch the screen of the portable electronic device through the transparent plate. The present invention saves the cost and is convenient for use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear exploded view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing that the first rear piece of the present invention is bent rearward;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view showing that the second rear piece of the present invention is bent rearward and a card can be inserted into the second rear piece;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing that a portable electronic device is placed into the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the transparent plate of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 6, a protective case 10 comprises an inner decorative part 11 and an outer decorative part 12 which are attached to each other to be one-piece. After the inner decorative part 11 and the outer decorative part 12 are jointed together, the protective case 10 is formed with a front piece 13 having a central hollowed portion 14. One side of the front piece 13 is connected with a first rear piece 15 through a first connecting piece 16. Another opposing side of the front piece 13 is connected with a second rear piece 18 through a second connecting piece 19. The hollowed portion 14 is provided with a transparent plate 20. The transparent plate 20 has a protruding portion 21 extending from the periphery of the transparent plate 20. The protruding portion 21 is thinner than the transparent plate 20 to form a stepped side. The edge of the inner decorative part 11 of the hollowed portion 14 is attached to the stepped side of the protruding portion 21, such that the inner decorative part 11 is flush with the transparent plate 20 to form a contact surface 22. The edge of the outer decorative part 12 of the hollowed portion 14 is attached to another side of the protruding portion 21. One end of the front piece 13 is provided with at least one limit strip 131. Another end of the front piece 13 is provided with a locking tab 132. A first magnetic member 133 is provided in the locking tab 132. The outer decorative part 12 of the first rear piece 15 is formed with at least one notch 153. The first rear piece 15 is formed with a positioning hole 151 for accommodating a second magnetic member 152. The inner decorative part 11 of the first rear piece 15 is provided with a smooth lining piece 17. By bending the first connecting piece 16, the first rear piece 15 is located behind the front piece 13. The limit strip 131 is inserted into the notch 153. The second rear piece 18 is formed with an elongate pocket opening 181 close to one side of the second rear piece 18. By bending the second connecting piece 19, the second rear piece 18 is located behind the front piece 13, enabling the second magnetic member 152 to be wrapped between the first rear piece 15 and the second rear piece 18. The second rear piece 18 has an outer circumferential binding portion 182 out of the rectangular portion defined by the elongate pocket opening 181 as a side length. The second rear piece 18 is attached to the first rear piece 15, such that a pocket is formed by an unbound portion of the first rear piece 15 and the second rear piece 18. The locking tab 132 is buckled on the second rear piece 18 by the first magnetic member 133 and the second magnetic member 152 to attract each other. The protective case 10 is formed in the shape of a bag.

According to the aforesaid structure, the protective case 1 is combined with the transparent plate 6 to be one-piece. A portable electronic device 2 is accommodated in the protective case 1, and the contact surface 22 of the transparent plate 20 is tightly attached to the screen of the portable electronic device 2. The user can see the transparent plate 20 through the hollowed portion 14 so as to watch/touch the screen directly. The present invention saves the cost and is convenient for use.

The assembly and function of the aforesaid embodiment are described hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 6, the transparent plate 20 is made of acryl, tempered glass, or the like to form a hard plate for supporting and keeping the shape of the front part 13, preventing the front part 13 from deforming and protecting the screen of the portable electronic device 2 from being scraped or damaged. The smooth lining piece 17 is made of a smooth material (such as a silk fabric, an oxford fabric, a nylon fabric, and so on) for the portable electronic device 2 to be placed into or taken out of the protective case 10 easily.

As shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 6, after the transparent plate 20 and the edge of the inner decorative part 11 of the hollowed portion 14 of the present invention are combined together, the step formed by the protruding portion 21 of the transparent plate 20 makes the inner decorative part 11 not protrude out of the surface of the transparent plate 20. This ensures that the transparent plate 20 is tightly attached to the screen of the portable electronic device 2, not hindered by the inner decorative part 11 so as to avoid a gap formed between the transparent plate 20 and the screen to cause a bad touch contact. Thus, the transparent plate 6 is adapted for the user's finger to touch the screen externally and protects the screen from being scraped by an external force. The user doesn't have to purchase a protective case as well as a screen protective film. The present invention saves the cost and can be used conveniently.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the limit strip 131 is inserted into the notch 153 and clamped by the first rear piece 15 and the second rear piece 18 and is able to bear the weight of the portable electronic device 2, such that one end of the portable electronic device 2 is limited by the limit strip 131 and another end of the portable electronic device 2 is limited by the locking tab 132 to be confined in the protective case 10. It is noted that the pocket formed by the first rear piece 15 and the second piece 18 is adapted for receiving a thin card 3, such as a chip induction card. When it is necessary to use the chip induction card 3, the user just puts the back of the protective case 10 to approach the chip sensor, without taking the card 3 out. The present invention is convenient and practicable.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show another embodiment of the transparent plate. A transparent plate 30 comprises an inner plate 31 and an outer plate 32 which are attached to each other. The inner plate 31 has a length and a width less than those of the outer plate 32, such that the transparent plate 30 is formed with a stepped portion 33 around an outer periphery thereof. When the transparent plate 30 is combined with the inner decorative part 11 of the hollowed portion 14, the inner decorative part 11 is flush with the transparent plate 30.

Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective case for a portable electronic device, comprising an inner decorative part and an outer decorative part which are attached to each other to be one-piece, the inner decorative part corresponding in shape to the outer decorative part, the protective case having a front piece having a central hollowed portion, one side of the front piece being provided with a first rear piece, another opposing side of the front piece being provided with a second rear piece, the hollowed portion being adapted to accommodate a transparent plate, the transparent plate having a protruding portion extending from a periphery of the transparent plate, the protruding portion being thinner than the transparent plate to form a stepped side, an edge of the inner decorative part of the hollowed portion being attached to the stepped side of the protruding portion, the inner decorative part being flush with the transparent plate, an edge of the outer decorative part of the hollowed portion being attached to another side of the protruding portion.
 2. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein one end of the front piece is provided with at least one limit strip, the outer decorative part of the first rear piece is formed with at least one notch, the first rear piece is bent to be located behind the front piece, the limit strip is inserted into the notch, and the second rear piece is bent to be located behind the front piece and attached to the first rear piece, enabling the protective case to be formed in the shape of a bag.
 3. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second rear piece is formed with an elongate pocket opening close to one side thereof, the second rear piece has an outer circumferential binding portion out of a rectangular portion defined by the elongate pocket opening as a side length, and a pocket is formed by an unbound portion of the first rear piece and the second rear piece.
 4. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein another end of the front piece is provided with a locking tab, a first magnetic member is provided in the locking tab, the first rear piece is formed with a positioning hole for accommodating a second magnetic member, and the locking tab is buckled on the second rear piece by the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to attract each other.
 5. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fordable first connecting piece is provided between the front piece and the first rear piece, and a fordable second connecting piece is provided between the front piece and the second rear piece.
 6. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a fordable first connecting piece is provided between the front piece and the first rear piece, and a fordable second connecting piece is provided between the front piece and the second rear piece.
 7. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner decorative part of the first rear piece is provided with a smooth lining piece.
 8. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inner decorative part of the first rear piece is provided with a smooth lining piece.
 9. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent plate comprises an inner plate and an outer plate which are attached to each other, the inner plate has a length and a width less than those of the outer plate, such that the transparent plate is formed with a stepped portion around an outer periphery thereof.
 10. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transparent plate comprises an inner plate and an outer plate which are attached to each other, the inner plate has a length and a width less than those of the outer plate, such that the transparent plate is formed with a stepped portion around an outer periphery thereof.
 11. The protective case for a portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent plate is made of acryl or tempered glass. 